Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

Zynga, the San Francisco company behind FarmVille, Mafia Wars and Words With Friends, knows how to throw one hell of a party. Setting the bar high for freebie-filled events in the days to come, the browser-based game developer’s shindig at SXSW Interactive last night is among the most impressive events I’ve attended in my six years of South by Southwest-ing.

The venue

Last year, Zynga’s music event was held at the Fader Fort in East Austin the Tuesday night before SXSW Music and featured Metric and The Constellations. This year, the party was moved to the Zynga Dog House, (a.k.a., Whitley Warehouse, where we saw Chromeo Sunday night). Though I’d just been in the space 24 hours prior, the transformation was remarkable. Zygna painted the blank concrete canvas with splashes of red light, photobooth flashes, and the the joyous glow of vintage arcade cabinets and skeeball scoreboards. There were multiple bars and a lounge area in the center of the main room offering guests a place to nibble on food while watching the main stage. Entry was difficult, to put it mildly, with the wait-list line stretching on for blocks.

@AndyShore There is a special energy that goes with the final show of a tour. Not only do you know the band is going to leave it all on the stage, but they’re also boosted by the knowledge that life in a tour bus away from family and friends is about to end. Add to that a sold out Fox Theather, far enough removed from a typical LA crowd in Pomona, and you’ve got the mix for a special evening. Read the rest of this entry »

@ZackTeibloom Robyn was an infectious party from the minute she danced her way out onto the immaculate new Moody ACL Studio stage to the perfectly appropriate “Time Machine.” It kind of felt like the Swedish Gay Time Machine** of concerts. Tell people you’re seeing Robyn, and they’ll ask if it’s that “Show Me Love” Robyn from the 90s. Yeah, same girl. And better than ever. After missing a few Midwest dates due to illness, Robyn was a healthy burst of energy, even if she had to eat half a banana and chug some water to get through her set with two unforgettable encores.

Coming out in the jacket pictured, Robyn was flanked by two male synth/keyboardists and two male drummers, all in white jumpsuits. It was an assault from the word go. She sang over a backing track that mostly served to echo her call and response. Her voice sounded spectacular in a room with dynamite acoustics, and the girl can flat out dance. As my girl Meg said, “As much as I loved dancing to Robyn, I’d watch her dance and think no one else could do it as well.” Robyn oozed stage presence. It was hard to take your eyes off her. I didn’t even notice when one of her dancers unzipped his jumpsuit down to his waist for the second half of the show.

The show was a steady stream of Body Talk hits, with “Fembot” following “Time Machine,” and led to her taking off her jacket and yelping ‘How you doing, Austeeen?” and straddling the drum kit before launching into “Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do.” I found it a bit odd that she blew her single load of “Dancing on my Own” so early in the show, but she had more than enough to keep us locked in for the next hour after it. She danced around with determination, dominating the stage and doing that back to the audience, “I’m-gonna-make-it-look-like-someone-is-groping-me-self-hug” thing to smiles and hoots from the crowd. Read the rest of this entry »

@ZackTeibloom There’s something special about a weekly residency. It’s how Festival Crashers got to know Ezra Furman so well and we couldn’t be happier about that. Thankfully we have a residency starting up tonight, as Hot Club of Cowtown begins a 5-week run at Continental Club. Don’t know them yet? Well, they’re a three-piece band with violin, guitar and stand-up bass and they all sing. Singer and violinist Elana James describes them as similar to early string bands. Like Norah Jones w/ some Wayne Hancock. Comparable to Caroline Chocolate Drops. Still not sure what to expect? She insists you have to come see them to really understand. Bob Dylan saw them live opening for Willie Nelson and brought Elana on tour. The only woman to tour with him in 30 years. Convinced yet? It’s only $5, which also lets you in on happy hour specials. Read the rest of this entry »

Green Day did such a spectacular job of getting the crowd involved that this section needed its own post. I captured three of my favorite moments, but there were 5 crowd participation moments that you couldn’t help but love.

@ZackTeibloom Passion Pit is so synth driven, I wondered how they’d sound with just Michael Angelakos on acoustic guitar, later joined by another member on electric. Would the songs hold up without the explosion of synth that is their driving force? Could they take the sweaty dance party, strip it away and make it just be about Angelakos’ voice and sparse guitars and have it work? Absolutely they could.

It was a mesmerizing three-song set with witty banter a lively crowd and an emphatic voice for vinyl. Pretty much everything you’d want from an in-store performance. Read the rest of this entry »

@AndyShore There are several different reasons to see a band more than one time. You will never see the same show twice with improvisational bands like Phish and Umphrey’s McGee. Other times, the musicians are so good, it is worth catching them live every time. I would put any band with Tom Morello, Jack White and Dave Grohl in that group. Sometimes, the band will play the same set, the same exact way, every time, and they’re still worth seeing every time. That’s probably the rarest kind. Matt & Kim fall into this last category. Read the rest of this entry »

@ZackTeibloom I’ve seen LCD Soundsystem open for Arcade Fire at the Hollywood Bowl. I was there when LCD played “Daft Punk is playing at my House” before Daft Punk played right after them at Lollapalooza 2007. I was there when LCD played Coachella in 2010 between Them Crooked Vultures and Jay-Z. None held a candle to last night.

It was a pantheon performance by LCD Soundsystem. One that made you feel alive. If you were there. I reviewed the whole show doing a slight variation on “Losing My Edge.” I’ll also debut the new rating system Shore came up with. Excuse all the “I was there” lines. I’m not rubbing it in for those of you who weren’t. Just listen to “Losing my Edge” while you read and it will all make sense.

@AndyShore The anticipation of seeing Paul McCartney had been building since Zack first told me the show was announced. It built even more when my brother managed to get me a ticket while I was in the car, on the way home from San Diego. It reached a head last week, when I thought the concert was last Wednesday. What a disappointment finding out I had another week to go! I couldn’t take it anymore, by the time I got to my seat in the Hollywood Bowl. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so excited. Asides from excitement, Macca had me running the gamut of emotions. Tears welled in my eyes because I was finally seeing Sir Paul himself. I cried, unashamed, as Paul sang “Here Today” to John. I screamed at the top of my lungs after every song, and sat in silence after the show because there just wasn’t any words. Read the rest of this entry »